Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kohima

For one person, living is cheaper in Kohima: $355 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
18

Cost of Living Index in Kohima
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Kohima Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Kohima

🇮🇳 India

$355

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Kohima

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chiang Mai and in Kohima actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $355 in Kohima, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Kohima $355

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $567 in Kohima, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Kohima $567

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $780 in Kohima, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Kohima $780

Chiang Mai costs about 163% more than Kohima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Kohima are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Kohima 74% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$2.28 ₹217

-1.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$9.15 ₹869

107.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$3.70 ₹351

50.00%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.61 ₹152

3.73%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.40 ₹38.22

60.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.11 ₹10.87

181.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.29 ₹122

82.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.50 ₹332

4.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.65 ₹61.8

200.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$0.40 ₹38.14

260.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$0.55 ₹52.6

141.82%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$0.81 ₹76.7

181.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$2.76 ₹262

496.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.42 ₹325

-18.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.20 ₹209

6.82%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$0.71 ₹67.1

36.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.90 ₹85.1

77.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.62 ₹58.8

141.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$0.33 ₹31.45

287.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$0.37 ₹35.39

197.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.31 ₹29.35

129.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.27 ₹25.63

81.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.15 ₹204

92.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$7.01 ₹666

149.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.65 ₹157

-2.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.49 ₹236

11.65%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$3.09 ₹294

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$0.23 ₹21.95

278.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$7.05 ₹670

667.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$0.68 ₹64.9

70.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.28 ₹26.27

89.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$1.33 ₹126

81.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.04 ₹99.0

39.42%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$11.3K ₹1.1M

86.08%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$16.2K ₹1.5M

66.05%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$62.2 ฿2,098

$35.38 ₹3,359

75.72%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$12.17 ฿411

$3.30 ₹314

268.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$6.27 ₹595

220.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$14.06 ₹1,335

165.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$7.22 ₹686

-47.78%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$3.22 ₹306

101.55%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$736 ฿24.8K

$28.01 ₹2,659

2528.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$2,253 ₹213.9K

555.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$17.12 ₹1,626

211.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$30.61 ₹2,907

-19.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$38.02 ₹3,610

140.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$27.14 ₹2,577

165.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$119 ₹11.3K

305.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$68.0 ₹6,457

354.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$284 ₹26.9K

254.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$169 ₹16.1K

274.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$916 ₹87.0K

157.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$491 ₹46.6K

223.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$204 ₹19.4K

188.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.38

-24.53%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kohima: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Kohima

$68 19.2% 78% $241

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Kohima

$97 27.2% 58.7% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Kohima

$51 14.3% 53.2% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Kohima

$45 12.7% 52.4% $50

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Kohima

$64 18.1% 17.4% $13

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Kohima

$10 2.8% 83.6% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Kohima

$21 5.8% 59.2% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $119 in Kohima. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Chiang Mai are about 2.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $9 in Kohima. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $97 – making Kohima the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇳 Kohima

🕒 Local time

06:15 6:15 AM

04:45 4:45 AM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

115,283

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 94.95 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Kohima 910 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Kohima

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Chiang Mai vs Kohima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 163% more than Kohima, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $533 in Kohima. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kohima, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $119 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $28 in Kohima. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 142% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Kohima – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Kohima. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.